AN ULTRA-MODERN swimming baths is to remain open after a woman was trapped in the water by the pool's high-tech floating floor.

The mum-of-four could be on crutches for up to six weeks after her foot became lodged between the pool wall and the adjustable base at the state-of-the-art North City Family and Fitness Centre.

Julie Lindsay, from Brenley Walk in Harpurhey, spent more than three hours in casualty and had to have stitches to a gash in her right foot following the accident on 9 August.

The 37-year-old, was taking part in her first aqua aerobics class at the centre and had been in the pool for 15 minutes where the water was chest high when her foot slipped into a gap and was squashed by the floating floor which is used to alter the depth of the water.

Ms Lindsay, who was taken by ambulance to North Manchester General Hospital, said: "My foot slipped down a gap and then the pool started moving crushing my foot. I somehow managed to ease it out but my foot was bleeding and has swelled up like a balloon. If that had been a child they would have no foot left."

The swimming pool was evacuated during the incident and the rest of the aerobics class was cancelled.

The £4m showpiece centre that boasts a 25-metre swimming pool, fitness suite and dance studio, opened its doors in March for a trial period before extending its hours to accommodate a full programme of activities last month.

It replaced the Victorian era Harpurhey Baths that were demolished to make way for a new college. The new development is also home to the government's SureStart family support agency.

The state-of-the-art 'floating floor' features a 10-metre long section of pool floor which can be moved up and down to vary the depth of the water to suit different activities.

Activities at the pool have been running throughout the summer holidays and the baths is to offer a timetable of school swimming lessons for the new term and a junior swimming club that will resume in September.

A Manchester City Council spokesman confirmed that the incident was recorded in the leisure centre's accident book and said: "The pool was closed immediately after the incident for a thorough investigation and was open the following day. No repairs were carried out as the incident was caused by an operational problem and no fault was found with the floor. The operational policies have been reviewed."

They added that as a result of the investigation class sizes at the pool will now be reduced and no more than 20 people will be allowed in the area concerned at any time.

Manchester City Council's executive member for leisure, Cllr Mark Hackett, was satisfied that the floor, which is similar to one at the Manchester Aquatics Centre, built for the Commonwealth Games, is safe and said he would continue to use the pool.

Cllr Hackett said: "The operators' and managers' and technical advice is that there doesn't appear to be a design fault. It is an operational problem. The situation was exaccerbated by too many people using it. With a reduced number of people it should not happen again.

"We have had moveable floors in the Aquatics Centre and I can't say there have been any accidents because of the movement of the floor.

"In general these systems have been used without much incident and I was told that it could be avoided. I am going to go for a swim there to look at it myself from the point of view of a swimmer."

The mechanical floor is operated hydraulically and is required in five to 10 per cent of the pool's activity programme.

Manchester's leisure services director Jeff Staniforth is confident that the floor cannot be moved by users as long as the new weight restriction is adhered to.

He said: "Following the accident health and safety officerts from the leisure division and the company responsible for the pool floor carried out an investigation. As a result of this the number of people allowed in to that type of session has been reviewed.

"All use of the swimming pool is now deemed to be safe and we are fully operational."